Ginger Rice - The Best Jasmine Rice Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What to add to jasmine rice to make it taste better? ›

Spice it Up!

Anyway, I decided to kick up the jasmine rice by adding a few spices and something magical happened. The turmeric and cumin added to the rich, nutty flavor of the jasmine rice and the little pinch of cinnamon added just a hint of spicy sweetness… like hitting the cymbals on a drum kit.

Please rinse your rice before cooking. Rinse it at least 3 times or until the water runs significantly clearer. To have super soft and fluffy rice, let the rice soak in water for 20 mins first.

Jasmine Rice Water Ratio

The perfect ratio is 1½:1, which means 1½ cups of water per each cup of rice. Adapt the rice to your preference: For slightly drier rice, use ¼ cup less water per each cup of rice and to make it moister use ¼ more water per cup of rice.

Rice types that are high in amylose, such as basmati or jasmine, are less sticky and more firm. Rinsing rice before cooking it washes the grains of their excess starch and helps the grains remain separate.

Most recipes get it wrong because it's not widely known that jasmine rice is softer than most, so you need LESS water than normal white rice so it's fluffy rather than gummy. Use just 1 1/4 cups water for every 1 cup of jasmine rice (the standard for typical white rice is 1 1/2 cups water to 1 cup rice).

Soaking is optional, but we recommend it! Soaking grains helps to remove some of the naturally-occurring phytic acid in the grain, which helps improve digestibility and speed cook time. To soak: Add rice to a large mixing bowl or pot and cover with twice the amount of lukewarm water (1 cup rice + 2-3 cups water).

Wash the rice under cold water using a sieve or colander, or rinse in a pan until the water runs clear. This vital step prior to cooking removes any excess starch, giving you more separate grains, and bringing out the Jasmine's sweet, floral fragrance.

Bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. Let the rice simmer until all the water is absorbed, or about 10 to 15 minutes. When checking for doneness, be sure to check the rice at the bottom of the pot, using a wooden spoon to make a well.

For tender grains of rice that easily separate, such as in a pilaf, use 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice. You can also use another liquid like stock in this 2:1 ratio. For slightly chewier, fluffy white rice, use 1 1/2 cups of water for every cup of rice, or a 1.5:1 ratio.

Place your fingertip on top of the rice and add water until it reaches your first knuckle. Cover the pot with a lid and bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat to low and cook for 18–20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed.

Why does Chinese restaurant rice taste so good? ›

The answer: high heat, expert tosses, and something known as 'wok hei. ' As J. Kenji López-Alt writes for Serious Eats, expert cooking with a wok (and the gas range it requires) is one of the main reasons that fried rice from a Chinese restaurant tastes so much better than what you can make at home.

In a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, combine jasmine rice, 1½ cups water, and ½ teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Stir once, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 18 minutes. (Do not lift the lid or stir!)

The best side dishes to serve with jasmine rice are beef and broccoli, orange chicken, turkey chili, lamb tikka masala, braised beef, Mongolian beef, cashew chicken, boneless pork ribs, teriyaki salmon, Thai green curry, sweet and sour prawns, vegetable stir fry, chicken katsu, red bean curry, and honey garlic shrimp.

Garlic and Ginger Jasmine Rice

True to its name, this easy dish is a quick way to double down on Jasmine's natural fragrance using garlic and ginger. Simply add these two ingredients, minced, to your rice cooker, and top the cooked rice with some chopped cilantro for an elevated finished product!

Chop up some leafy herbs like parsley, basil, mint, or whatever suits your flavor palette, and stir them in just before serving the rice. You can also use the same herbs as a garnish, or toast them in butter to drizzle over your ready-to-serve bowl of instant rice.

The secret of the fragrance in Thai jasmine rice is from the substances triggering the aroma in rice, namely the 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline essential oil or, in short, substance 2AP.